Author: Mark B.

  • Review: Valkyria Chronicles Remastered (Sony Playstation 4)

    Valkyria Chronicles Remastered Genre: Strategy RPG Developer: Sega Publisher: Sega Release Date: 05/17/16 It’s hard to believe Valkyria Chronicles came out a decade ago, as in many respects, the game feels as fresh and exciting now as it ever has. That’s in no way meant to be hyperbole, though I’d forgive you for thinking of…

  • Review: Ray Gigant (Sony Playstation Vita)

    Ray Gigant Genre: Dungeon Crawler/Rhythm Developer: Experience Publisher: Acttil Release Date: 05/03/16 You might well think that one dungeon crawler from Experience in a calendar year would be a fine enough boon to genre fans, especially considering that the game released this year, Stranger of Sword City, was one of the best entries in the…

  • 10 Thoughts on… Ray Gigant (Sony Playstation Vita)

    2016 is shaping up to be an outstanding year for RPGs of all shapes and sizes; with Fire Emblem Fates, Stranger of Sword City and Dark Souls III already out in the market and Shin Megami Tensei VI Apocalypse, Tokyo Mirage Sessions and 7th Dragon III coming out sometime this year (among many, many others),…

  • 10 Thoughts on… Valkyria Chronicles Remastered (Sony Playstation 4)

    It hardly feels like it’s been eight years since the original release of Valkyria Chronicles on the Playstation 3, partly because the game felt like a transcendent game at the time of release, and partly because it still feels fresh and different even now. The combination of strategic play and active movement is one that…

  • Battle of the Beta Tests: Overwatch vs Battleborn

    Gearbox and Blizzard have been in something of a dead heat over the past few months over their upcoming FPS MOBAs Battleborn and Overwatch, respectively, to the point that both games are even releasing in the same month (Battleborn at the beginning of May, Overwatch at the end). While it’s clear both companies likely came…

  • Review: Stranger of Sword City (Sony Playstation Vita)

    Stranger of Sword City Genre: Dungeon Crawling RPG Developer: Experience Inc Publisher: NIS America Release Date: 04/26/16 In theory, Experience Inc is a company I can easily see myself appreciating in the long term; I’ve been openly effusive toward the dungeon crawler genre in the past, and by and large they make dungeon crawlers almost…

  • 10 Thoughts on… Prison Architect (Microsoft Xbox One)

    Prison Architect is a game that’s constantly popping up in my discovery queue on Steam for one reason or another, so when the game was announced for release on the Xbox One my interest was piqued. I’ve always been a fan of building and management simulators, from SimCity to Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis to Theme…

  • Review: Dark Souls III (Sony Playstation 4)

    Dark Souls III Genre: Action RPG Developer: From Software Publisher: Bandai Namco Release Date: 04/12/2016 So, here we are, together again, to discuss Dark Souls III. It’s no secret that I have a great deal of respect for From Software, partly because of their long history of making interesting (if not always mechanically ideal) games,…

  • 10 Thoughts on… Stranger of Sword City (Sony Playstation Vita)

    Experience Inc. came out of nowhere in the US in 2013 with the surprisingly solid Demon Gaze, a dungeon crawling RPG featuring some very strong and unique elements. It was a bit over the top in its aesthetic (IE there were lots of boobs), but it managed to stand on its own as a game…

  • Review: Catlateral Damage (Sony Playstation 4)

    Catlateral Damage Genre: Sandbox/Action Developer: Manekoware Publisher: Fire Hose Games Release Date: 03/22/16 Complicated, challenging games are certainly a wonderful thing to have available, but sometimes you just need a game that lets you turn off your brain and wreck everything in sight for a while. That’s certainly the charm behind a lot of games,…

  • Review: Republique (Sony Playstation 4)

    Republique Genre: Stealth Developer: Camoflaj Publisher: GungHo Release Date: 03/22/16 Republique was one of those rare games that I was interested in playing despite knowing next to nothing about it; if I’m being up-front, I thought the title was interesting and the box art looked cool, and decided that was enough knowledge to inform my…

  • Review: Mind Zero (PC)

    Mind Zero Genre: JRPG/Dungeon Crawler Developer: Acquire, ZeroDiv Publisher: Aksys Release Date: 03/08/16 The past year or so has been harsh on Japanese game publishers trying their hand at bringing games to the PC marketplace. While a few, like Sega and Idea Factory, have done so admirably (Valkyria Chronicles and the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, respectively),…

  • Review: Nekopara Vol. 2 (PC)

    Nekopara Vol. 2 Genre: Visual Novel Developer: Neko Works Publisher: Sekai Project Release Date: 02/19/16 It’s hard to know what to make of Nekopara as a series. I played the first game, partly as livestream fodder to torment amuse my regulars, and partly because it looked kind of cute in its own way, and I…

  • Review: XCOM 2 (PC)

    XCOM 2 Genre: Turn Based Strategy Developer: Firaxis Games Publisher: 2K Games Release Date: 02/05/15 After Firaxis revived the long-dormant XCOM franchise by way of the stunning return to form that was XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the big question in the minds of fans eventually became “So, what’s next?” While the original X-COM: UFO Defense was…

  • Review: Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (Sony Playstation 4)

    Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Genre: RPG Developer: Media Vision Publisher: Bandai Namco Games Release Date: 02/02/16 If I’m being honest, I was never a Digimon kid growing up; Pokemon was where it was at, as far as I was concerned, and I never got into the games based around that concept as much as I…

  • Review: Strawberry Vinegar (PC)

    Strawberry Vinegar Genre: Visual Novel Developer: Ebi-Hime Publisher: Sekai Project Release Date: 01/05/16 So, let’s get this out of the way up front: Strawberry Vinegar is a hard game to process, and even now I’m not entirely sure I get it. In theory, it’s a visual novel based around a fish-out-of-water outsider friendship plot, and…

  • Review: Star Wars Pinball: The Force Awakens (Sony PlayStation 4/PlayStation 3/PlayStation Vita)

    Star Wars Pinball: The Force Awakens Genre: Pinball Developer: Zen Studios Publisher: Zen Studios Release Date: 01/12/16 2015 was a big year for Zen Pinball and Pinball FX fans, as Zen Studios went all out on releasing tables, from their own tables to licensed tables for Marvel and the Star Wars franchise, in addition to…

  • Review: No One But You (PC)

    No One But You Genre: Visual Novel Developer: Unwonted Studios Publisher: Unwonted Studios, Sekai Project Release Date: 01/19/16 While publisher Sekai Project is probably most notable for the big name Japanese visual novels they’ve helped bring to the US recently, like The Fruit of Grisaia and Clannad, they’ve also been doing a great service to…

  • Review: Resident Evil 0: HD Remaster (Sony Playstation 4)

    Resident Evil 0: HD Remaster Genre: Survival Horror Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Release Date: 01/19/16 Well, this day was bound to come sooner or later. Capcom’s rereleased most of their up-to-date Resident Evil back catalog on the current and prior generation of consoles, between Resident Evil 4 and an HD remake the Resident Evil remake,…

  • DePaul Researchers Recruiting for Study on Fighting Game Communities

    A new research study exploring the experiences of fighting game community members is recruiting participants from January 18, 2016 to February 8, 2016. To date there have been few if any empirical research studies examining fighting game communities, and most that do look at these communities tend to study the effects of particular video games…